By Any Other Name
by OS Platform 9.75
Summary: It was a fling, a one night stand.  Now six years later, the wolves need her help and she has to share her dirty little secret, and she thought the drive up to Montana was bad.
1. Prologue

Boggy, swampy, humid, thick. The air was all of these words but to Bran it was mostly just miserable. It was so damn hot he didn't know how the Louisiana pack could stand it. How his son could live in

the south with it's 100 degree plus temperatures when Mercy left was beyond the Marrok.

"Yes, I suppose it is a little warm." A young African American woman said from a shady storefront. Bran turned to offer her a polite smile, inhaling deeply before he replied.

"Excuse me?"

Her thick French Quarter accented voice carried on, ignoring his question.

"Of course, if the heat doesn't get you the bugs will. Though the mosquitoes don't seem to be bothering you much Marrok."

Bran had finally sorted through the hot house of New Orleans to catch a whiff of old magic on the dark skinned woman. She was standing in front of a shop that proclaimed her true identity to the world, _Aleshia Boudiou: Vodouisant_.

In the crazy town of New Orleans you could be anything, these streets had seen it all, hopefully including the pack of women Bran was trying to track down.

The woman, Aleshia, he assumed, not that she offered her name, held out her hand for a tribute. Nothing was free, especially not in this bustling city.

Once paid she smiled wickedly and it causes his wolf to tense. He hated witches or anything closely related to them. He had a bad experience with them.

"They live in the old plantation house outside of town on your way out. You'll see an orchard, turn by it. On down that road you'll come to a crossroad, if your smart you'll keen which one to take."

As suddenly as she appeared she was gone and while she wasn't much help to him with her cryptic directions a little something was better then nothing.

* * *

Bran eased into his house, his body sore and knowing that despite his silence everyone in the house knew he was home.

"You found them?" Charles asked from the sitting room where he was watching a movie with his mate Anna.

He nodded and yawned. "We can talk tomorrow. When did Samuel get in?" His oldest son's truck was in the garage next to the old corvette.

"Just a few hours ago. We sent him to bed, he pulled a double shift at the hospital and then went to visit with Mercy and Adam to get updates on the murders."

That sounded like Samuel, sometimes the boy worked too hard.

Bran nodded on his way upstairs and to bed.


	2. Un:  Please Not Before My Coffee

**This is a Mercy Thompson fan fiction that includes some other characters that while original, the origins spawned from Kresley Cole's amazing Immortals After Dark series. I make no profit off of this. **

_**Un: Please No News Before My Coffee…**_

**Samuel went down to breakfast bleary eyed, bare footed, and shirtless looking for the coffee that had roused him. Despite the lag, he was well rested and had slept like the dead. Even when his father came home he couldn't force himself to wake up enough to get out of bed and question him. **

**Along with the coffee, Samuel could smell Bran and Charles in the kitchen with pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Anna was oddly absent so Samuel was assuming this was a meeting to discuss where his father had been for the past two days and the murders that were multiplying alarmingly quickly. **

**Coming in he inhaled past the delicious smells of breakfast and grabbed onto a sour smell of that was radiating of Bran. He was shifting back and forth and wouldn't meet his son's eyes. This wasn't going to be good. **

"**Please not before a cup of coffee." Samuel growled and poured himself a cup, not waiting for a reply. **

**Bran and Charles began to talk about the murders again theorizing and going over the first victims. It was quite a compare and contrast and sometimes Samuel would assist them with a detail but mostly he just listened and ate. **

**The murders were being put on the back burner because they were not what had gotten under the Marrok's skin. The tension level in the air rose. It was so rare to see the Marrok out of control that Samuel was starting to get worried. He finished off his plate and rose for another cup of coffee. **

**When he was seated he stated boldly, "These murders aren't why you left with no warning. They aren't the reason I had to track you to Louisiana."**

* * *

"**Come again?" **

**Gwyn winced as the coat door slammed behind Ashton.**

"**I know your angry." This was the last thing that Gwyn wanted to deal with. Ashton the Huntress was not a person you wanted mad at you. Ever. Megan and Rayne both plopped themselves down on the stairs to watch the events unfold. Or course Rayne already knew how everything would go. **

"**You're damn right I'm angry." Ashton didn't yell, hell she didn't need to raise her voice, the deadly quietness of it was enough to frighten even the Gwyn the Queen. Lightning struck outside the window causing the electricity to flicker. **

**Gwyn watched as Ashton moved around the room gathering up her things; a book here, a shoe on the ottoman, a shirt hanging from the living room light fixture. **

"**You put us all in danger. Werewolves are unstable." Ashton sat down on the stairs trying to calm down and see reason. Gwyn was right to tell Bran everything but she still went through the motions of putting up a fight. **

**Alpha, or A-Dog, as Ashton sometimes called him, shoved his head against her shoulder. The bastard was huge and Gwyn could still remember the day half a millennia earlier when her sister brought him home. She had dragged her bloody beaten body through the door with the help of the hellhound. **

**The house had been more shocked seeing Ashton then they had been the dog. She had been missing for the better part of the century and even though they knew she was alive, Rayne was a soothsayer and would see her die, they didn't know where she was or how to rescue her. **

**The Huntress only told that story once, the story of how a general to a legion of demon's in the Underworld had her kidnapped to be his plaything, upon hearing of her strength, skill, and beauty. **

**He kept her and tortured her but he made the mistake of having the Alpha hell hound watch over her. She realized he was thirsty and hungry and shared what little food and water she got and one day a lesser demon came through and started to torture the hound, he never saw Ashton until she had snapped his neck off of his body. **

**Ashton had said that the punishment for that offence had almost done her in, even though it was really hard to kill an immortal. Not long after that the two broke away, 'finished business and left' as she put it. **

**There were rumors that she had went on a killing spree so viscous that none of the demons in the general's legion had survived. It could be true, because Alpha wasn't the only thing that Ashton brought home that night. She was wearing two fangs on a leather thong around her neck. Her personal katana was also adorned with suspicious looking horns but no one ever asked her. No one wanted to.**

**The hound that looked a lot like a werewolf size Doberman Pinscher sighed happily as Ashton rubbed him behind his pointy ears. **

**Rayne laughed and stood making her way down the stairs, she was off her rocker that one. **

"**It was going to be more dangerous for us if we didn't tell Bran. Remember what happened in a few weeks. Much better now that the wolves can help with that problem. And you will be able to help with one of their's. Don't forget to pack salt and charge you cell phone, of course I won't answer the first time you call me so just skip that one." Rayne rambled on as she walked out of the door.**

"**That's one coo coo Valkyrie, I'll go grab the twins from the pool." Megan said and went out the veranda doors. **

**Ashton rubbed her eyes, thinking that she might be getting a headache. "Guess I'll go home and pack." She muttered. **

**Pack and prepare, she had to prepare herself to see Samuel again, brace herself for his anger, which she deserved, and get ready for a long trip with their six year old twins. **

**She didn't know which one she was dreading more.**

_**Once again I got the Valkyrie idea from Kresley Cole and the character Rayne is going to be loosely based off of her character Nix…every story needs its dull crayon right? **_


	3. Duex:  So We Meet Again

Duex: So We Meet Again…

Aspen Creek was small and quaint with weather that made you want to pick one of the many knolls and roll around in the fresh green grass. Despite the fact that summer was well on it's way, a fact backed by the 99 degree heat that New Orleans was already experiencing, it still felt like spring here. A true May for sure.

Ashton wasn't here to enjoy the lack of humidity and heat though. She glanced back into the rearview mirror of the Mercedes GL550 she had grown to love even when she had loathed trading her coupe in for it. The trade down had been necessary when she had found out she was pregnant, just like moving out of Vallhalla Manor which was an all female frat house most of the time, had been. In reality the SUV wasn't so bad because she still had her vintage '68 stingray 'vette and a new Aston Martin, for when she wanted to go really fast. It was just one of the things that had changed in her life when the kids came along, something she would never trade for anything.

In the backseat the twins, Grace and Grant, slept peacefully with headphones still on and the SpongeBob dvd still going strong. For a second she wondered if the change in climate would effect them. The air up here was thinner and they could have problems breathing. Just because they were the children of two immortals didn't mean they were born with immortality. That would be gifted to them when they reached full adulthood, until then they were just more resilient then normal children.

Just the one motherly worry opened up a floodgate to bigger problems, like what the twins would do when they met Samuel for the first time, what would Samuel say to her, what were they going to do for a compromise, would he try to steal them away from her.

The later would never happen, it would be a war of colossal proportions, so she physically shook the worries from her mind and began to look for the turn off. She ended up stopping for directions twice and each time she made sure it was humans who she questioned, even then she knew word of her arrival would reach Bran before she did.

Finally, she pulled into the Marrok's driveway frowning at the Alpha who was already waiting outside. She parked and ordered A-Dog, who was lounging in the very backseat to watch the kids, then got out as quietly as she could.

"Hello Huntress, it's a pleasure to meet you." The old wolf said formally.

"Hard to believe we've never met after all these centuries. You can call me Ashton." The Marrok was very powerful and Ashton knew that in a fair fight he would win, but then again she didn't always fight fair. She gave the man a once over noticing that the legend before her was only slightly wider and taller then her. He was also cute, in a Geek Squad kinda way.

She split into a smile of mischief, "Oh, I bet Gwynie took one look at you a sang like a canary. She always did prefer…subtly sexy."

Bran laughed a real laugh that rolled from him with ease.

"She wasn't so willing at first I can promise you that."

"Look, I'm sorry for not coming sooner I hope you don't take it out on the kids…" Ashton blurted it out and winced. The plan was to apologize to everyone at once. One sincere apology met her bi-century quota.

"I'm not the one you owe an apology to." Bran said simply.

They were so deep into the conversation that she never smelled him or heard him come out from the open garage.

Ashton jumped when his voice growled, "More than an apology."

For a second she couldn't remember how to breathe, he was just that stunning. Not in a pretty boy model kind of way, but in the ancient warrior, fierce and built-like-a-bear kinda way. His glacier blue eyes held rage but hadn't changed yet, even though power rolled off of him in waves that maddened her.

A growl broke lose from Bran as Samuel took a menacing step towards her. The look in his eyes most definitely weren't begging for a hug, more likely he was aching to throttle her.

Another step and the growled demand, "How dare you?"

All it took was that step toward her to shake her from her revere. At the threat her body acted in kind. Claws extended and straightened into razor sharp weapons and her deep green eyes brightened to the color of melted silver. Lightning laced the mid afternoon sky and thunder claps followed it, the electricity in the house flickered from her energy.

How dare he just waltz up to her like she owed him anything? She was pissed and she opened her mouth to tell him to go blow himself when she heard a voice that stopped her in her tracks.

"Daddy!" Grace was clinging onto his legs just as simple as that and Grant was standing by her side along with Alpha watching the scene warily.

At the voice of a little girl all of the anger and rage Samuel felt at the beautiful warrior before him vanished and his heart was instantly filled with love.

"How did you know who I was?" He whispered to her crouching down to take her in his arms. This must be Grace, the girl twin, at that thought his eyes searched for and found her darker brother Grant who stood beside Ashton with his armed looped around the biggest damn Doberman Pincher Samuel had ever seen.

"Don't be silly I can smell that it's you." Grace giggled cryptically and hugged him closer before turning to her brother, "Grant don't you want to meet our dad?"

The boys dark eyes shone as he nodded at Samuel and then to Bran.

"Father, Grandpiere." He spoke with a light French accent and Grace spoke with a southern drawl. Just from hearing them speak Samuel knew how different they were going to be and he looked forward to getting to know each and every difference.

At that moment Anna burst through the door with Charles, both looking at their niece and nephews excitedly as they introduced themselves. Bran looked between Samuel and Ashton who were staring at each other and decided to take his grandchildren into the house for a tour.

"Come on kids, lets go inside and get you settled down."

As soon as the kids were out of earshot Samuel started with questions, following Ash who had moved around the large SUV to remove heavy suitcases with ease.

"Why are their accents different?"

Ash smiled. "That's actually a recent development. They started preliminary school this year and I gave them a choice of going wherever they wanted. Grace opted for a public school and has a few tutors during the week to keep up with advanced studies. Grant wanted to go to a private all boy school off the coast in Louisiana that is primarily French. They are both extremely intelligent but I'm sure you knew they would be."

Samuel filed this information and was determined to find more about the kids on his own. "Why didn't you tell me that night what you were?" He pulled her around to face him.

"You weren't exactly volunteering information. You were aggressive and moody, we both needed release and provided it for one another." It was a simple explanation but he could smell the lie coming from her sweet soft skin.

Grabbing her face to make her look at him he demanded the truth.

"Don't lie to me. Why didn't you call me as soon as you found out?"

So the questions she so dreaded answering began.


	4. Trios:  Temper, temper

Disclaimer: I own and make nothing…can't quit my day job.

Chapter Trois: Temper, temper.

Ashton hated answering questions about herself, hated people knowing her secrets, and more than anything hated people judging her.

Samuel was demanding slash doing all three. It peeved her and for the second time in minutes she knew her eyes turned silver, Ashton was so damned emotional around him, had noticed it as soon as they met.

It irked her that he could so easily push her buttons both the good and the bad. She was renown for her patience and calmness in tight situations, for her cool cold wrath that no being wanted to bring upon them, she was the creature that demons and vampires told horror stories about.

Give her a hot alpha werewolf and her reputation just flies out the window without even blowing her a kiss. Steering the conversation back to him she shortly answered,

"You were depressed, angry, and clearly in pain. That's not exactly the best mix for a werewolf and I didn't want to run the risk of telling you and a war starting between our fractions. Just my coven alone could wipe out all the werewolves on this continent." This was the truth, just not all of it, because truthfully she was selfish and she wanted her kids for herself, they were something no one could ever take from her.

He laughed at that. Samuel seriously doubted that the lithe female in front of him was that fierce, he knew little about Valkyrie, just what he had managed to Google, and he didn't know how much of that was true. Obviously, lightning and energy was attracted to her as shown by their almost fight earlier, but really? Could she be the daughter of gods.

Yeah, she was beautiful enough to be. Even now her silver eyes made him hard as a rock and he subtly shifted so she wouldn't notice. Brother wolf warned him to watch out for her and recognized her as a predator but his brain couldn't rationalize it and he didn't even see the clawed fist coming.

His laughter set her off, he didn't know anything about her, the night he slept with her he thought she was just some fiery human. Damn him, two of her parents were the gods Woden and Freya, she was over a millennia old and he stood there laughing at her.

Her shell colored claws straightened as she reared back and punched him cracking his check and jawbone and sending him flying back. Distantly she heard footsteps but she didn't care the tattoo on her shoulder writhed against her skin coming to life at the smell of blood and the approach of Alpha. She was on Samuel before he gathered his surroundings pulling him up with little effort only to kick him in the torso and send him flying back more, closer to the forest and further from the house.

Samuel was so startled at her first punch he didn't register what happened but by the time she threw him on his ass again it was too late for control and his wolf took over as he shifted. He heard Bran trying to talk her down which was good because it would take him a few minutes to adjust before he could attack her.

As soon as he was able to stand he flew at her with everything he had and she flipped over him easily grabbing him by the tuff of his white coat and skidding him several yards from her. Bran was ordering him to stop, reasoning that she was holding back, but Samuel was gone for the moment, so gone he didn't notice the shadows around him coming to life until a deep throated growl penetrated his thoughts.

Swiveling around he found her Doberman who was as large as he was in his wolf form, had changed, his black eyes glowing red as a pack of shadow hounds formed behind him. He didn't hear her signal the hound to her only noticed that the beast and its shadows were bounding towards _her_. That it could hurt her and even though they were fighting his mind cleared and he placed his body between them which angered the beast and it attacked just as he heard her voice, his females voice ordering everything to stop but it was too late and the beast hit him with the force of a train.

Ashton waded into the brawl through her shadow hounds to grab Alpha by the scruff of his neck. He had went all hell hound when he saw Samuel attacking her in wolf form, calling the shadow hounds from her back without her consent. Picking up the hell hound she shook him roughly. "Enough, I said stop it. Go hunt something to calm down A-Dog." He licked her hand and obliged her. Looking down at Samuel who appeared to be just fine and not bitten which was good because Alpha's bite was poisonous and, though it wouldn't kill an immortal it would hurt like hell.

Setting down on the ground she ran her fingers over one side to make sure nothing was broken, the bones in his face already mending, Bran reached to start on the other side but Samuel growled out him and turned it towards Ashton.

"Would you care to explain that?" The Marrok asked her, clearly angry.

"We had a disagreement." Samuel snorted and she flicked his nose. A move she did with Alpha all the time but he became still and turned his head towards her his eyes clearly stating that he couldn't believe she just did that.

The startled disbelief in his eyes and shock from this whole insane situation dawned on her and she laughed in delight. She could feel her anger slipping away.

"I like you better in this form," She informed Samuel. "you can't use that smart mouth of yours."


End file.
